Kids of Widney High

The Kids of Widney High weren't originally intended to be a grassroots pop cultural phenomenon. At first, it was just a way for special education teacher Michael Monagan to introduce his class of severely handicapped high school students to the wondrous effects of songwriting. But it evolved into something far larger, leaving many to question the intentions of those associated with its wide-scale distribution. In 1989, he and a set of professional studio musicians teamed up with his students to record a series of songs, for which the students were to write and perform. It was...